Armani’s departure marks end of an era in fashion

Giorgio Armani is no longer with us. The man who redefined how we dress, how we view ourselves in mirrors, and how power may be carried in silence has departed the stage at the age of 91. In the company of his loved ones, he passed away in Milan on 4 September, 2025.

The story of Armani wasn't supposed to be glamorous. He studied medicine before life took him in a different direction after his 1934 birth in Piacenza. He was employed at La Rinascente first as a window dresser and then as a buyer. He later learned how cloth falls and how a jacket may liberate a man rather than imprison him at Nino Cerruti's studio. In 1975, with Sergio Galeotti by his side, Armani sold his car and risked everything on a brand carrying his name. That gamble changed fashion forever.

He took the padding out of suits, loosened shoulders, softened lines. He gave men room to breathe and women sharper edges without screaming for attention. Diane Keaton in Annie Hall. Richard Gere in American Gigolo. With those moments Armani's language of quiet confidence became universal. He wasn't selling clothes; he was selling ease — the kind of power you didn't need to shout about.

From Milan, his empire spread: Emporio, Privé, perfumes, watches, even hotels. He never sold out to conglomerates, never gave up control. Armani was the CEO, the creative director, the man still adjusting a model's hair backstage. In an industry that feeds on chaos, he built discipline.

Here in Bangladesh, we knew Armani mostly through perfumes carried back from abroad, watches behind glass in Gulshan, and the faint envy of a suit we couldn't afford. But his philosophy cut deeper: that style didn't need glitter to matter. In a place where understatement often wins respect, Armani's voice felt oddly familiar.

Even in his final years, he refused to step away. Last year, he marked 50 years of Armani in New York. He looked frail, but the message was intact: elegance is not about noise; it's about control, restraint, respect.

Giorgio Armani didn't just dress people. He altered how we imagined ourselves when we wanted to be taken seriously. He leaves behind billions in business, yes, but more than that — he leaves a reminder. That power doesn't need to shout. Sometimes, it only needs a well-cut jacket.